Brake-handle.



No. 64!,639. Patented la-n. l6, I900. E. G. COLLINS.

BRAKE HANDLE.

[Application filed Dec. 2, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Wzinesses.

.l. 1% XW 4 NITED STATES ATENT Fries.

BRAKE-HANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,639, dated January16, 1900.

Application filed December 2, 1899. Serial No. 738,948. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD (J. COLLINS, of Taunton, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Brake-Handles, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My present invention relates to brakehandles and it consists in certainnovel fea tures of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts,which will be readily understood by reference to the description of theaccompanying drawings and to the claims hereto appended and in which myinvention is clearly pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of a brake-handle and aportion of the brakeshaft, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section online 00 x on Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a sectional elevation of the upperportion of the brake-shaft. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the twosliding pawls slightly separated from each other.

In the drawings, 1 represents the brakehandle, provided with the hollowhub 2, in the interior of which are found a series of ratchetteeth 3,preferably an odd number, extending longitudinally of said hub orparallel to the axis about which said handle moves in operating thebrake.

The upper end of the brake-shaft 4 is enlarged, has formed therein thecircumferential groove 5, has its extreme upper portion 6 reduced indiameter to form the annular shoulder 7, and has the slot 8 cutdiametrically through its upper portion. So far the construction issubstantially the same as shown and described in another application ofmine filed August 8, 1899, Serial No. 726,000.

The slot 8 has fitted therein the two triangular pawl-plates 9 and 10,both of which are constructed and arranged to be movable transversely ofsaid shaft when the pawl 9 is moved vertically. The upper end of saidshaft at has formed therein a cylindrical chamber 11 concentric with theaxis of said shaft, in which is placed the spiral spring 12, the lowerend of which restsupon the broad upper end of the pawl 9, while itsupper end abuts against the upper wall or surface of the recess 13,formed in the hub 2 above the larger chamber contain- I together.

ing the teeth 3, the tension of said spring tending to press the pawl 9downward, which movement causes both pawls to be moved outward as far asthe width of the larger chamber in said hub will permit.

The recess 13 in the hub 2 embraces the reduced upper end of thebrake-shaft 4, and thus practically ties the two parts of the said shaftupon the opposite sides of the slot 8 The reduced upper portion of saidshaft and the portions just above and below the groove 5 are fitted tobearings inthe hub 2, as shown. to the extreme upper end of said shaftmay extend upward only to the shoulder 7, if desired, but as a matter ofconvenience in forming said slot I prefer to make it as shown. Therebeing two pawls and an odd number of teeth it follows that when one pawlis engaged with the shoulder of a tooth the opposite pawl will bebearing against the center of the inclined surface of another tooth, asshown in Fig. 3, and said pawls will act alternately'upon the teeth 3,whereby a much stronger tooth may be had with an equally fine adjustmentof the handle, as if a single pawl and double the number of teeth wereem ployed.

The handle 1 is secured against being accidentally withdrawn from theshaft by the screw 14, the smooth inner end of which entersthe groove 5,as shown in Fig. 2. This construction makes a very strong and durablebrake-operating device that is efiective in operation, inexpensive toconstruct, and that will not easily get out of order.

As the tension of the spring 12 acting upon the pawl 9 to move itdownward causes the outer edges of both pawls to be held in con tactwith the peripheral surface of the chann-- ber in said hub 2, if thehandle be turned in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3 oneor the other of said pawls will engage a tooth 3 and cause the shaft 4to be turned in the same direction. If, however, the handle be turned inthe opposite direction, the action of the inclined surfaces of the teethupon the pawls will cause them to be moved inward against the tension ofsaid spring.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-- 1. In a brake-handle for cars the combina- The slot8 instead of extending tion of a handle having a chambered hub toinclose the upper end of the brake-shaft; a series of ratchet-teethformed in the inner perimeter of said chambered hub; a brake-shafthaving a slot out diametrically through it at or near its upper end; apair of triangular sliding pawls fitted in said slot with their outeredges parallel to each other and adapted to be moved laterally inopposite directions in said slot by pressure being applied to the upperend of one of said pawls; and a spring interposed between the upper endof one of said pawls and the closed upper end of the chamber of the hubof said handle.

2. In a brake-operating device the combination of a handle provided witha hub having the recess 13 and a larger chamber; a series ofratchet-teeth formed in and extending longitudinally of said chamber; abrake-shaft having a slot cut diametrically through it at or nearitsupperend, and havinga cylindrical recess formed in its upper endconcentric with its axis, and having its upper end reduced to fit therecess 13 in said hub; a pair of triangular sliding pawls fitted to saidslot with their outer edges parallel and their 0blique edges abuttingagainst each other; and the spring 12 inserted in the recess 11 andbearing at one end upon one of said pawls and at the other against theclosed upper end of the recess 13.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 27th day of November, A.D. 1899.

EDWARD C. COLLINS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD T. HALL,' EDGAR Tl. CROSSMAN.

